In obstetrics there have been many attempts at providing birthing chairs, beds, or structures designed to support a woman during labor and delivery of a baby. These structures include the birthing chair shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,703,975 to Roberts et al.; the portable child birth chair shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,180,062 to Alberti et al.; the accouchement couches disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 136,663 to Moore; the safety accouchement chair shown in U.S. Pat. No. 597,473 to Swain; the adjustable labor delivery recovery hospital bed shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,247,091 to Glowacki et al.; and the gantries for accouchement and gynecological purposes shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,819,133 to Party; the accouchement apparatus shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,715,592 to Lewis; and the arm and leg support shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,732,269 to Astroff.
Among the distinct disadvantages of these prior structures include the cost, size and complexity. Birthing chairs and beds cost in the thousands of dollars and are quite bulky. These structures are particularly unsuitable for use in home births, and deliveries made in hospital alternative birthing rooms. In these latter settings, deliveries are typically made on conventional beds. However, conventional beds are generally too soft to provide sufficient support for the woman as she has little or nothing to grasp when experiencing contractions or bearing down during delivery.
It is therefore desirable to have a simple, inexpensive birthing structure which can help brace and support the lower back and pelvis of a woman during labor and delivery, which is particularly suited for use in home births and deliveries made in alternative birthing rooms where conventional beds are used.